Page 22 of Still Bruised
“I know that, but… a lot of people think the same way.”
“Is that why you two split?” Jude asked. “Her walking in on you?”
“Nah. This was a few weeks after the breakup.”
“Wait… How did she catch you in the actaftershe moved out?” Jude asked.
“She had an extra key.”
Jude shook his head. “I hope you got that back.”
“Yeah, and changed the locks just in case,” Anton replied. “She said she’d recently found it and was only there to drop it off, but I sensed it was more than that. She was all decked out… wearing this slinky dress I’d always liked and the perfume I’d bought her. I think she had plans to win me back and finding me ass up in bed stopped it from happening.”
“Good,”Jude said. “She wasn’t good people and doesn’t deserve you.”
“Which she proved time and time again.” Anton shrugged. “I’m amazed it hasn’t spread all over town already. I suspected she’d talk, but maybe it was too embarrassing for her.”
“I haven’t heard anything, but I don’t really see much of her crowd,” Jude said. He noticed the worry in Anton’s eyes. “If it gets out, the people who matter won’t care, you know?”
“I know, but seeing you race out of there like that… My mind went to what she said and… I guess I worried you thought it, too,” Anton said.
Guilt stabbed Jude in the chest. No way had he meant for Anton to take his reaction that way.
“Ant… did you not see what I was doing when you noticed me?”
“I did, but I wasn’t exactly being logical in that moment,” Anton said, the corners of his lips suddenly curling up.“Two?”
“Can we please pretend you didn’t see anything?” Jude closed his eyes and scrubbed his face. He dropped his hands to his lap and sighed. “I’m sorry if I upset you. I just… it felt wrong. Like walking in on your parents having sex level wrong.”
“I get that,” Anton said. “Not gonna lie, I was a bit thrown, too, but mostly because I had no idea you bottomed. You give off top energy.”
“I assumed the same about you.”
Silence stretched for a few seconds, but it wasn’t uncomfortable like it had been earlier.
“Us crossing paths was bound to happen, you know? Especially if we’re both being cumdumps at parties,” Anton said.
Jude lifted a brow. “Can’t be a cumdump if you make them wear condoms.”
“True,” Anton said. “Just so you know, I’m not freaked out seeing you get yours, but I can respect if you don’t want to see me get mine. If you plan to go to another party, maybe let me know and I’ll do the same… if we’re both invited to the same one, we can make sure only one of us goes,” Anton said. “If we have to, you can go to one, I’ll go to the next.”
“I’d appreciate that,” Jude said.
Anton leveled his gaze at Jude. “We good now?”
“Of course,” Jude said. “Wanna beer?”
Anton grinned. “Yeah.”
Jude grabbed the remote and turned the television back on. “You know where they are. Go get one.”
Anton punched him softly on the thigh. “Asshole.”
“Always,”Jude said, adding a cheesy grin.
Anton rose and walked to the kitchen.
“Grab me one while you’re in there, will you, sweetie?” Jude called over his shoulder.
